1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hanger adapted for hanging an item that has a flexible portion, such as a bag, which may be releasably clamped between two portions of the hanger.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
It is often desirable to have a hanger that is adapted to releasably attach to an item so that the item may be easily hung up from a support such as a hook, rod, or door. Some examples of well known hangers include a shirt hanger, which has a hook extending upwardly from an elongate generally horizontal cross member, over which, a shirt, pants, or other article of clothing simply is draped. The article of clothing is maintained on the horizontal cross member simply by hanging thereover. Such shirt hangers, however, are generally not suitable for hanging heavier items that cannot be easily draped thereover without falling off.
For hanging heavier items or items that are harder or impossible simply to drape over a horizontal cross member, it is known to use multi-part clamping mechanisms, wherein a hook extends upwardly from one side of a main body portion, and a clamping mechanism is carried by or defined by the main body portion for releasably clamping the item between a pair of opposing, generally flat jaws. For example, one hanger specifically adapted for hanging trousers includes a pair of opposing horizontal bars articulably connected at and hanging downwardly from a hinge member that includes a cam mechanism and a hook extending upwardly from the hinge member. Another hanger includes a hook extending upwardly from a single horizontal cross bar and a pair of spring-loaded clamping jaws extending downwardly from and at opposite ends of the horizontal cross bar. Although these types of hangers generally are sufficient for hanging clothes, and the like, they are often limited by the amount of weight that can be held between the jaws without pulling out, which can limit the usefulness for hanging heavier items, such as a bag filled with heavier items.
In order to overcome this limitation of simple jaws-type hangers, it has been known to add gripping members or surfaces to the jaws or simply to dispense with the clamping mechanism and include a member that penetrates into the item itself, such as with a second hook or peg. Of course, such solutions may not be acceptable for use with some items, such as a bag designed to maintain its contents sealed therein, because such mechanisms either puncture the bag and thereby break the desired seal for the contents or require a bag that has been specially constructed with holes and/or grommets to receive the penetrating member.
The inventors of the present invention have recognized that it would be desirable to have a hanger adapted for hanging a heavier item, such as a bag filled with liquids, or the like, that may be releasably clamped between two portions of the hanger without puncturing the bag, in order to maintain the integrity of the bag.